Summer of Service

2014 SOS team

I am serving with Helping Hands, a ministry to refugees in Greece. Helping Hands provides many different services to these refugees—primarily Muslims—but the main focus is building relationships with them and loving them like Christ.

Erin BrasserTEAM ServeSouthern ChinaMay 12-June 26

During the week, I am serving Chinese young adults by teaching English at a university. In the evenings and on the weekends, I am joining other American interns, teachers and mentors to converse with city natives in a TEAM Serve-operated coffee shop.

Savannah ClapperPioneersPolandJune 1-July 31

I am volunteering for Pioneers in Rzeszów, Poland, where I'm working with long-term missionaries to build relationships with the people there in hopes of planting a future church. My ministry will include English camps, prayer walking, and going out and helping in the community.

I am serving alongside missionaries and nannies at Children of the Promise. We are caring for poverty-stricken children with disabilities and/or malnourishment.

Arianne GesellLuke SocietyCochabamba, BoliviaMay 28-July 23

I am serving in a rural medical clinic outside of Cochabamba. Another college student and I are assisting Teo, the local nurse, to serve the indigenous population. We are helping with everything from giving vaccinations to making home visits to stitching wounds and providing other care.

Mica GravesInternational TeamsAthens, GreeceMay 25-July 19

With Helping Hands Ministry, I have the opportunity to work with women and children refugees mainly from the Middle East. Day-to-day the work will change, but always our main focus is building relationships with the refugees through various programs at the center. Some of the ministry's programs are a summer camp for children, a hygiene ministry, and food and clothing distribution.

Krista HammPioneersBengkulu, IndonesiaJune 1-July 24

My summer involves learning about Indonesian culture and spending time with the people I meet there. I'm staying with a host family, spending time with new Indonesian friends, and learning the language. My main ministry is developing relationships and extending the work of the full-time missionaries already in Bengkulu.

I am helping with organization and communication for short-term delegations that visit from the U.S. When they arrive, a Nicaraguan staff member and I serve as guides and interpreters. We travel to rural and urban communities throughout Nicaragua to see CEPAD's work and learn about the country's economic, social and political realities.

Logan HovlandPioneersNaryn, KyrgyzstanJune 1-July 10

The ministry I'm involved with is primarily concerned with unreached people groups, like the Kyrgyz. While onsite, we are working with the missionaries to build relationships and doing service projects in rural and urban parts of Naryn. We are also leading a baseball camp that aims to reach out to the local children and show them the love of Christ.

Alyssa HuyserLuke SocietyGhanaMay 30-July 20

Along with SOS teammate Alaina Kielb, I am working in a medical clinic through Luke Society, where I am assisting the physicians and nurses. We are working alongside two other students from different schools, reaching out to the villages around the clinic.

Partnering with volunteers from all over the world, I am living in community and serving European travelers at the Shelter City Hostel by making meals, cleaning rooms, working the front desk, serving coffee, leading Bible studies, and having intentional conversations about the transforming reality of following Jesus Christ.

Alaina KielbLuke SocietyGhanaMay 30-July 20

Along with SOS teammate Alyssa Huyser, I am working in a medical clinic through Luke Society, where I am assisting the physicians and nurses. We are working alongside two other students from different schools, reaching out to the villages around the clinic. I am not sure what God has planned, but I am very eager to find out!

SOS teammate Leah Rekow and I are serving in Cochabamba, Bolivia, at an organization called El Centro de Amistad y Apoyo, which is an after-school program for disadvantaged children. Our work includes tutoring and forming relationships with the kids at The Center.

Leah RekowInternational TeamsCochabamba, BoliviaMay 29-July 20

SOS teammate Breanna Mars and I are working with El Centro de Amistad y Apoyo, a ministry to children and families in the outskirts of Cochabamba. I am helping with an after-school tutoring program, completing construction on the center, and building relationships with the kids and missionaries.

This summer, I am serving for 8 weeks alongside a local Kenyan pastor at an AIM church in the rural community of Korr, Kenya, home of the Rendille people. I am participating in, leading, and teaching youth ministry programs and vacation Bible school each week.

Carly RozeboomCary Christian CenterCary, MississippiJune and July

I am returning to Cary to work for the Village, an outreach to children, youth and families. I am working with the 6-week Summer Enrichment Program for youth ages 4 to 17. The program includes field trips, special activities, Bible lessons, and games that fill the children's lives with fun, new and enriching activities. I look forward to being part of God's work alongside the amazing people at Cary Christian Center!

Kristen SchulerRahab's RopeGoa, IndiaMay 17-June 26

I am serving at Rahab's Rope this summer, working in vocational training center, at after-school programs, and in life-skills workshops for young women and children. Rahab's Rope aims to prevent the cycle of sex trafficking with the high risk populations in Goa. There is also a medical center nearby where I hope to use some of my nursing knowledge.

Taylor StuderInternational TeamsAthens, GreeceMay 25-July 19

Athens is one of the many exit ramps around the world that helps refugees escape violence, terror and persecution. My teammates and I are working alongside volunteers to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of refugees in Greece. We are teaching language classes, assisting in the preschool playroom, and helping organize and distribute clothing. Our ultimate mission is to plant gospel seeds that take root in the hearts of refugees and bear the fruit of lives transformed through Christ.

Sarah WedelRahab's RopeBangalore, IndiaMay 18-July 3

I am working with women who have escaped or been rescued from sex trafficking and prostitution. I am teaching vocational skills, giving English lessons, and building relationships with the women who live at the Rahab's Rope shelter.

Living at Shelter Jordan, I am serving alongside volunteers from all over the world. My hostess duties include cooking, cleaning, and working at the snack bar and coffee shop; leading Bible studies; and forming relationships with both guest and fellow workers. I'm eager to minister through hospitality, sharing the gospel in a relational, inviting space.

Talitha WittSonlife Latin AmericaCosta RicaJune 1-July 15

Along with other interns, I am studying the life of Christ and learning Spanish. We are spending time in the community, enacting what we learn about Jesus' life on earth. A missionary is my mentor while I assist with ministry in a poverty-stricken area. I am also a mentor to a local Costa Rican and am living with a local host family.